NORMAN —The University of Oklahoma College of Law is pleased to announce the launch of the OU Law Center for Technology and Innovation in Practice, formally bringing together and expanding the elements of the college’s groundbreaking Digital Initiative.

“Three years ago, OU Law was the first law school in the nation to launch a college-wide Digital Initiative, immersing our students in technology from day one,” said OU College of Law Dean Joseph Harroz Jr. “The results of our initiative have become clear: the demand for technologically savvy law graduates has never been higher, and OU Law graduates are seeing remarkable benefits. The creation of the OU Law Center for Technology and Innovation in Practice captures our successes in this sphere, allowing the college to capitalize on opportunities for our students.”

The new center encompasses the existing elements of the college’s Digital Initiative, which is built around three core elements:

• the common platform of the iPad, given to students at no cost;
• a digital training curriculum that educates OU Law students to use technology for productivity in law school and in practice; and
• the Inasmuch Foundation Collaborative Learning Center, a state-of-the-art space dedicated to connecting students to one another, and to the people and societies they will serve.

The OU Law Center for Technology and Innovation in Practice also will include technology certifications and opportunities to explore new law practice technology:

• Students can earn certifications through the Legal Technology Core Competencies Certification Coalition (LTC4), a nonprofit that has established legal technology core competencies and certification that all law firms can use to measure ongoing efficiency improvements.
• In addition to training students on the use of current technologies, the center will investigate new and emerging technologies for use in the law school curriculum as well as in law practice. The center is exploring virtual, augmented and mixed reality use scenarios in law practice, as well as implementing artificial intelligence tools in legal research and document drafting.
• Future offerings through the center may include an incubation program, which could provide recent OU Law graduates with the foundational technologies, training and tools that all start-up law firms need to succeed in today’s legal market.

“When we started the Digital Initiative three years ago, we had the framework of a plan, knowing that the nature of technology advancements would require us to adapt,” Harroz said. “As opportunities for the use of technology in the legal profession grow, we will continue to adjust our approach. In the years to come, no matter how technology has impacted the practice of law, our students will be ready to take charge of the technological demands of the profession.”

With the support of OU Law Associate Dean Darin Fox, Director of Technology Innovation Kenton Brice spearheads the center’s efforts in advancing OU Law’s offerings in the digital realm.

“Under Kenton Brice’s leadership, we are positioning the OU Law Center for Technology and Innovation in Practice to engage with academics, policymakers and industry experts to research and implement the practical use of technology in legal education,” Harroz said. “Kenton’s expertise is critical to the success of this effort, and we’re incredibly fortunate to have him at the helm.”

To learn more about OU Law’s Digital Initiative, visit law.ou.edu/digitalinitiative.

Founded in 1909, the OU College of Law is Oklahoma’s premier law school. OU Law offers small sections and class sizes that encourage a strong sense of community; accomplished faculty with international expertise; and a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest technology. The OU College of Law is the academic home of more than 700 students enrolled in the juris doctor program, the John B. Turner Master of Laws Program, the master of legal studies program and various dual degree programs. For more information about OU Law, visit law.ou.edu.